Talk to the locals in friendly tackle shops, share their enthusiasm for regional ways – fish for crab off the pier at Tynemouth, North Tyneside using their favourite bait of ragworm; try their tips to catch the best plaice and flounders.
Follow the anglers’ calendar and visit the South Coast towards the end of May for spring codling moving inshore. The great shingle beach at Walmer in Kent is an ideal spot to try your luck; this is where Julius Caesar first stepped ashore in Britain. Fishing in the early morning with a gentle mist rolling in off mirrored water you can almost imagine the splash of oars.
The beaches of the North and South Cornish coast attract surfers from all over the world. With sea warmed by the Gulf Stream and clean surf beaches they’re also a great place to enjoy surf fishing for bass. For wild, hard fighting fish and spectacular cliff scenery visit Trebarwith Strand, where the glorious sunsets are the stuff of legends – not surprising as King Arthur’s craggy Tintagel fortress is just a bay away. Leave the shore and take a fishing boat out of Exmouth in Devon for a chance to catch Pollock weighing up to 25 pounds.
Mackerel fishing with feathers is fun for all the family. Diving birds highlight shoals offshore or near the beach. From a small boat with outriggers or off a pier, if the fish are running you’ll catch dozens, plenty for a barbeque on the beach and some left over for bait for bigger things. Try out wreck fishing and enjoy the inevitable fishermen’s tales whilst catching some monsters of your own.
The cosmopolitan delights of Brighton are close at hand when you fish from the Marina Pier – but you could catch a 13lb bass, or even a 7lb sea trout. The Fishing Museum beside the beach is a mine of information on fishing past and present in the area – and there’s a great shellfish stall just outside.